The FDNY headed upstate Thursday to help Binghamton recover from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, as President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in the flood-ravaged area.

With the city still reeling from Irene's destruction, Lee has brought record flooding and forced 20,000 to evacuate.

The Susquehanna River is expected to rise above 26 feet and evacuation shelters have been filling up.

The state's emergency management office called in the FDNY to help with Binghamton's logistical and operational needs.

Sixty firefighters loaded up their mobile command center and prepared to head out toward the crisis.

"It's bad, it's getting worse. The emergency operations center has been operating for two weeks now with no relief, and they've requested us to come up there and give them a hand,” said FDNY Assistant Chief James Manahan.

The department was trained to handle large scale disasters after the September 11th attacks, and this will be their fourth deployment outside the city.